The Arrow Proposal
by Ophelia Joane
Summary: A glimpse in the past of Molly and Arthur's relationship and a nervous Harry proposing...
_Written for the Quidditch League Fanfiction Competition. Prompts weren't turned in in time, but my word count is 2001-2250. Beater 1 of the Appleby Arrows._

 ** _Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter. Or arrows. Apparently._**

* * *

The day started out fairly normal at the Weasley house. The birds sang to wake the remaining members in the household; the sun shined through the windows, showing shadows of dancing trees. The wind breezed through an opened window, making the curtains dance and leaving behind the sweet scent of spring. It was finally beginning to grow warm.

Little Ginny Weasley bounced down the stairs, ready to help her mum with breakfast. It was something she had always done,and she was faced with the sad truth that this would stop once she had started school. While she was jealous of all of her other brothers having gone to Hogwarts and was excited for her departure to the glorious castle, she would miss the days that she could sleep in or go out and explore the forest surrounding her house. It was time to grow older and to take on responsibilities.

She jumped over the last step, practicing for when she would have to skip the trick step once she was at Hogwarts. Running her right hand alongside the wall, she looked at the moving photographs and knick-knacks that had been there for as long as she could remember. Ginny laughed as she looked at a picture with Percy and his baby brothers who were tugging at his curly hair. She scanned her eyes over the next picture, her parents' wedding picture. Her father had his arms around her mother's waist, and she was looking up over her shoulder at him. They were smiling, happy.

The picture next to it was Ginny's particular favorite, though. It was of her parents running around on the grounds of Hogwarts right next to the Great Lake. Her father was chasing her mother with his wand and using it to spray water at the young Molly Weasley. She was uncharacteristically smiling while running, and Ginny swore she could almost hear their laughing and screeching.

Ginny was humming to herself as she continued walking down the hallway when her eye caught an object that she had always seen but never knew its reason for being there. It was an arrow, just a single arrow, with no bow or anything. She made a mental note to ask her mother about it once she reached the kitchen.

She didn't get a chance, because before her mother quickly turned around with a smile. "Ah, good morning, dear. Here, you can peel the potatoes, if you'd like." Molly knew her daughter found the task oddly relaxing.

"Good morning, Mum," Ginny said happily, striding over to her mother.

They worked in silence for a few moments. The sound of birds, peeling of potatoes, and whisking of biscuit batter were the only noises for them.

"Dad already at work?" Ginny asked.

"Yes, took off earlier than usual. Something about a Muggle car or whatnot. I don't understand half the nonsense he rattles on about. That man is something else."

Ginny nodded along. Then she remembered what she wanted to ask. "Mum, what's the arrow in the hallway from?"

Her mother looked up at her and rolled her eyes. "That silly thing, it caused more trouble than it was worth, believe me."

"How so?"

"Well, on our first date your father and I visited this Muggle museum of ancient history. I don't quite remember which one, but oh, did he drag me to the darn place."

Ginny stopped peeling and turned to her mother, wanting more of an explanation. "And? The arrow?"

Molly shook her head. "It was something he took from the museum, right out of the glass case. He thought the Muggles had somehow gotten their hands on a wand until he almost took his eye out with the arrowhead."

"So he just kept it, then?"

Molly sighed. "Right after he took it out of the glass case, alarms started going off, and the Muggle officers started chasing him. Arthur confunded them, which ended up being a huge mess with the ;Ministry, but anyway, yes, he took the arrow. I feel like he just wanted to be reminded of the day, it _was_ our first date, and you know how fascinated he is with Muggles and their items."

"But why hang it up? It's right next to your wedding photos!"

"Hmm," Molly started. "Right, well that's how he proposed to me as well. Had the ring hanging in the middle of the arrow and presented it to me. It was very sweet, actually; that's why I hung it up."

" _That's_ how he proposed?" Ginny exclaimed. "You both told us that he proposed by the Great Lake!"

"It seemed more romantic that way."

"Wait, when did this happen?"

"We went to the museum before our Sixth Year, and he proposed two years later, almost to the day. Now, enough of this glimpse into the past; I'm starting to feel quite old. How are your potatoes coming along?" Molly turned her head to look at her daughter, who was looking at the arrow that hung on the wall in deep thought. Smiling to herself, Molly went back to focusing on her own work.

Ginny Weasley always had a wild imagination when it came to fantasizing about love. Later that summer, she would come downstairs to help her mother with breakfast as she always did, only to find her brother's best friend (Ginny's hero and crush) just sitting at their dining room table. Eyes wide, she quickly looked at the arrow that was hanging on the wall just next to her, back at Harry, and back to the arrow. She was reminded of her mother's own romantic story involving it and instantly felt overwhelmed. So, she ran back upstairs, leaving behind a very confused twelve year old boy.

Years later she would graduate from Hogwarts and move into Harry's flat. They would spend the summer together just being in love and not having a care in the world. There was no more murder, no more war, and most importantly: no more Voldemort. Life was good.

It was the end of summer and Ginny was going to leave so she could train for the Holyhead Harpies, so Harry had made a huge dinner for her. She had thought that it was just a going away dinner, but that's not all Harry had in mind.

"Ginny," he started. "I don't want you to go."

The redhead, who was in the middle of putting pasta in her mouth, cocked an eyebrow. "You don't get a choice," she replied, her mouth full of food. Very ladylike, of course.

"No, I know," he nervously chuckled. "That's not what I'm trying to say." He leaned over and put his hand over hers. "Listen, _really_ listen to what I'm about to say."

Ginny put her fork down. "Alright, I'm listening."

Harry took a deep breath. "I've had feelings for you for years. And in the last three years we've dated, broke up, got back together, and moved in with each other. Now I have to say goodbye while you go train for the Harpies and I go to school to become an Auror. I just… I don't want us to grow apart."

"We won't," Ginny interrupted.

Harry shook his head and sighed. "I don't think I'm doing this right."

"Doing what right?" she asked.

Pursing his lips together, Harry shot up and ran out of the room, leaving a very confused Ginny behind. She was about to race after him until he came back holding something behind him. He held it out in front of her.

Ginny blinked once. Then twice. Her mouth widened slightly at the sight of the arrow her mother had told her love story about all those years ago. "But," Ginny's voice cracked. "How did you get this? When Bellatrix burned down our house I thought almost everything had been lost."

"It wasn't at the house, it was in your parent's bank vault. Molly told me she had moved some more important items there in case something ever happened. She was right to think that."

It was only then that Ginny noticed something glimmer on the arrow, and she stood up so fast she banged her knees on the table. "Merlin!" she cried.

Harry moved closer to her and got on one knee. He slid the ring that had been glimmering off of the arrow and held it out to her. "I don't plan on losing anyone else I love. Please Ginny, marry me. Be my fiance. You can still train and play quidditch, I will never hold you back. Anything you want in the world, anything you want to do, anyone you want to be, I will do everything in my power to give you what you want. I've never met anyone else like you, Ginerva Weasley. Be my wife and let me be your husband."

"Merlin," Ginny repeated, this time her voice barely audible.

"We can start a family," Harry went on. "Our own red headed monsters and curly haired babies. However many you want. One? Great. Enough for a quidditch team? Fantastic."

"I-"

"Just say yes, please."

Ginny laughed, tears in her eyes. "If you wait a second, I just might."

Harry looked genuinely nervous at that and Ginny realized how she sounded. "I'm messing with you Harry, you know how sassy I am all the time. I would absolutely love to be your wife."

Ginny swore she had never seen Harry happier than in the moment as he swept her in a kiss. She was, however, able to see him even happier at their wedding a year and a half later and then when she gave birth to one, then another, and another baby, giving them beautiful children. She was also happy that after so many years of pain Harry was able to get a taste of what life was supposed to be like. What true happiness was.

More time passed and soon enough Ginny was explaining to her two younger children why there was a random arrow in their house. She had also hung it up on the wall, just like her mother had all those years ago, and was happily retelling the love story her mother had told her as well as her own.

"That's so romantic, I hope someone proposes to me in a cute way," Lily sighed.

"Hmm, maybe like a certain Scorpious Malfoy?" Albus joked and his sister glared at him. "You've just finished your First Year, Lils, you've got plenty of time for romance," he said.

"Yeah, you're right," Lily agreed.

"There's no need for you two to worry about love and marriage quite yet. Just focus on family, friends, and school, in that order," Ginny told her kids, a part of her hoping Hermione wasn't anywhere nearby to hear her say that.

"But not like James, right? I think he spends way too much time on _friends_ then he does on family and school combined!" Albus exclaimed, making his younger sister laugh.

There was loud footsteps coming down the stairs before James appeared. "One day Al you'll realize that certain _friends_ are much lovelier company than that foul, dusty library you spend all your time in."

"And one day you'll realize that one of the things girls are best at doing is talking," Albus shot back at his older brother.

James waggled his eyebrows. "Oh, trust me, I'm definitely counting on _that._ "

"Eugh," Ginny said, disgusted. "Now this is something a mother doesn't need to hear."

"Right, sorry mum. Of course, no girl is lovelier than our dear mummy here, isn't that right?" James asked, obnoxiously giving his mother a big kiss on the cheek.

"Oh, she's just the loveliest," Lily agreed, giggling.

"No one can compare to thee," Albus bowed to his mother.

"You lot are the absolute worst, I don't know why I keep you around," Ginny joked.

"Because otherwise you'd just be stuck with just dad," James said, to which they all chuckled at.

"Very true," his mother agreed. "He's the worst of you all."

"Is that right?" A voice asked behind her and Ginny turned around to see her handsome, happy husband behind her.

"Yes," she answered. "The absolute worst."

Yet Ginny's eyes said something quite different.


End file.
